Canada’s public safety minister says he plans to introduce stricter gun laws as soon as possible despite ongoing uncertainties around Parliament’s operation due to COVID-19 physical distancing restrictions, after a gunman killed at least 18 people in Nova Scotia over the weekend.

“It is my intention to bring forward that legislation as quickly as possible, but that has been our intention,” Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said on Monday.

The rampage in Nova Scotia, thought to be the deadliest mass shooting in Canadian history, only ended after the suspected gunman was shot and killed by police near Halifax around noon on Sunday.

The RCMP is continuing to investigate the violence that took place across a suspected 16 crime scenes.

In Ottawa on Monday, Parliament returned for a routine sitting, complete with Question Period, for the first time since taking an emergency recess because of the COVID-19 pandemic on March 13. Slightly more than the necessary number of MPs for quorum returned to the capital on two separate occasions to pass legislation enabling the government to operate and distribute funds to people affected by the coronavirus crisis twice since that time.

The governing Liberals have opposed returning to normal sittings, which the Bloc Québécois and NDP agreed with, but they could not reach a deal with the Conservatives, whose support they needed to further suspend business in the House. A shortlist of MPs from all parties instead came together in the House on Monday, where they reached an agreement for the lower chamber to meet in-person once each week, as well as two ‘virtual sittings.’ The Conservative MPs present voted against the motion and supported an unsuccessful amendment that would see two in-person sittings each week.

Since suspending in March, the government has only passed legislation related to its own functionality or the pandemic.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at his daily press briefing on Monday that the Liberals were “on the verge of introducing legislation to ban assault style weapons” in Canada, prior to the pandemic derailing their plans.

“It was interrupted when the pandemic caused Parliament to be suspended. But we have every intention of moving forward on that measure and potentially other measures,” Trudeau said.

The Liberals campaigned on a number of promises related to gun control, including banning assault rifles, like the AR-15, and introducing a buyback program for them, giving municipalities the power to ban handguns, strengthening gun storage and licensing requirements to own a gun, and introducing what Blair called “red-flag laws,” to prevent people who may be a danger to themselves or others from acquiring a gun.

“There has been an interruption in Parliament as a result of the COVID-19 provisions that have been put in place in Parliament, but at the very first opportunity it is my intention to bring forward the measures that will fulfill our commitment to Canadians to strengthen gun control in Canada,” Blair said.

The public safety minister wouldn’t say whether or not changing Canada’s gun laws would be prioritized ahead of other legislation, following the weekend’s events. Responding to a question about how it could supersede already-introduced bills that would ban conversion therapy and change medical assistance in dying laws, Blair said that “all of those things are priorities.”

Blair also mentioned that his government’s response to the shooting would be “evidence-based,” and to arrive at possible legislative or regulatory responses it needed to wait for the RCMP to finish its investigation.

RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki joined Blair at the federal government’s press conference about the shooting on Monday.

Because her police force’s investigation was continuing, Lucki said it was too early to give definitive answers about what type of weapons the shooter used, whether they were banned or legal weapons, or how it is suspected that the shooter acquired his firearms.

“Because there is 15 different crime scenes and, despite what the suspect may or may not have had, we have to determine at each location what weapon was used, and determine if it was a long arm or if it was a handgun and until we know exactly the cause of each death, we’re not in a position to say what types of weapons that the suspect was in possession of,” Lucki said.

“I would urge to be patient with the RCMP as they do a very difficult but very important job for us in getting all the facts and confirming their evidence, making sure that all of the steps to preserve that evidence are taken. Canadians deserve answers. The families and the victims of these terrible crimes deserve accurate answers,” Blair said.